The new Control Centre and Blower House Complex at Athlone WWTW is situated along the N2 highway, neighbouring the decommissioned Athlone Power Station. The original wastewater treatment structures, constructed throughout the 20th century, features rough brown face brick and pre-cast concrete window frames.

The new building aims to fit in among the infrastructure relics while establishing a new standard for material use and detailing that exude the City’s pride in their works without the burden of excessive maintenance.

Its position is determined by the plant and process design and fortunately caused the long façade to be orientated North. Further to creating optional user space in terms of sunlight and spatial qualities, we wanted to celebrate the primary function of the building which is the plant. A first-floor gallery was placed along the north façade, flowing from a generous stair in the foyer. On the one side the gallery borders the blower hall and continuous glazing allow views down to the blowers, and on the other side the staff related functions are dispersed in a way that is focused on the value of the spaces in between the functions to be useful and pleasant as well as allowing the linear gallery to be a place rather than just a hallway for circulation.

These first floor’s clerical functions and gallery were layered on the northern façade by placing a thick eroded brown face brick wall pane along the northern edge. This element is lower than the blower hall, and carved out around the internal human functions, reinforcing the human scale in a machine dominated context. On the ground floor, a covered walkway was created on the inside of this element, protecting one from the weather and leading the user to the main entrance through a path of varying character, constantly changing volume and light, as the first floor and roof slab above steps in and out. On the first-floor gallery, the functional elements push to the northern edge in search of optimal sunlight. Some portions of the gallery join this pursuit, creating sitting and meeting areas of varying degrees of intimacy. The functions are as open as possible toward the gallery so that the uses overlap, and the gallery become part of the kitchen, laboratory, meeting areas, etc. At the control room on the eastern edge, the SCADA station pushes its head through the brown face brick skin without touching it on either side. It announces the main entrance underneath it and enable the operators to observe the majority of the plant.

Behind the brown face brick façade, the blower hall rises higher in red face brick expressed as a masonry box.
The functions were strategically positioned to limit dirt transfer from the grounds into the building.
In the extremely corrosive environment, minimum metals were used leading to pre-cast blades being re-orientated vertically for glass panes to be stuck in directly.